(A) Particles for formation of yes-or-no questions:- 1. -[bo'] 2 -[b(w)e'] 3. [hO~Q-] 4. [shOQ-]
(B) Particles for indication of some kind of command:- 5. -[de'] 6. -[O']
(C) Particles for indication of perfect aspect:- 7. -[a'] 8. -[lO']
(D) Particles for indication of wondering:- 9. -[de'] 10. -[a'] 11. [ha~Q-]
(E) Particles for indication of conclusiveness:- 12. -[la'] 13. -[ma'] 14. -[neQ-]
(F) Particles with an exaggerated tone:- 15. [a:=(-)] 16. [O:-+]
(G) Non-particle constructions with the rolling-off format:-
17. [dtNg"|lai'ki'] [dtaN"|tzit'e']
18. [teQ=(+/-)|nNg'bpaQ' kO'] [b(/w)e"|nNg'lyap'a']
The Hoyloy final particles are morphemes used only for ending a clause with. Most of them are enclitic elements of constructions with the rolling-off format, which produces some prosodic (or intonational) prominence for the clause-final markedness. Final particles of the other type appeal to an exaggerated tone for the markedness. A Hoyloy clause normally, that is without markedness, terminates with a regular basic tone. In a conversation ending a sentence with a final particle generally suggests either the turn for the hearer to make a comment or a yes-or-no answer, or other supplement to the meaning. Under each category a specific particle or chain of particles brings about a specific function. Besides the final particles, there are instances where the rolling-off format is adopted for words proper at the end of a clause, yielding a modal or semantic function. This is the third type of clause-final markedness from prosodic effect. Examples of these three types of clause-final markedness are listed and illustrated as follows.
(A) Particles for formation of yes-or-no questions
These final particles have the grammatical function of forming yes-or-no questions.
1. -[bo'] (derived from [bo+] for 'there is no'; alternative form -[bO'])
[u_/sya~=(+)mi=(+)/syau-sit- |bo'] 'Anything new?' [bo+ |neQ-(14)] 'But no.' [hONg-tai=(-) m_tzai-/ e_/lai+|bo'] 'The typhoon not known will come or not?' = 'Will the typhoon, if you know, be in?' [bo_dtiQ"kaK- O:-+(16)] 'It's hard to tell really.'-- Back to Top --
2. -[b(/w)e'] (derived from [b(/w)e-] for 'not yet')
[lin=(+)/bpa-bpa= dtNg"|lai'(17) |b(/w)e'] 'Has your daddy come back yet?' [dtNg"|lai' qo"\tsut-|ki' |a'(7)] '(He) has come back and gone out again/ came back and went out again.'-- Back to Top --
3. [hO~Q-] (for a tag question)
[dten_we- bo-(_)/laNg-(_)\tzyap- hO~Q-] 'Telephone nobody receives, huh?' = 'Nobody answers the phone, right?' [syo=(+)dtan"|de' tzyaQ"\qo"\tsi"/kwa~"bai- |de'(5)] 'A little later then again try and see' = 'Let's try and see again a little later.'
This morpheme treated expediently here as a final particle may be more suitably taken to serve as a tag or follow-up question.
-- Back to Top --
4. [shOQ-] (contraction of [si-|bo(O)'] for a tag question)
[we:=' li" m_bat-|gwa' shOQ-] 'Hey, don't you know me?' [a:=' a-bi"|a'//tzin-/sit+le' hyONg_hyONg+ bo-(_)/kwa~'|dtyoQ'] 'Ah [a-bi"]. So sorry I was too hurrying/careless to catch sight (of you).'
This morpheme treated expediently here as a final particle may be more suitably taken to serve as a tag question.
-- Back to Top --
(B) Particles for indication of some kind of command
5. -[de'] Cf. item 9.
The morpheme -[de']* is often used to form a command or advice.
[dtyam_dtyam- tze-|de'] 'Be seated and keep quiet.' [tze_/kaQ"\si"tzya~'|de'] 'Keep in more upright sitting position.'
This particle may also be used for suggesting something is being done prior to something else can happen such as demonstrated in the following dialogue.
[mNg+ dti,p=b(/w)eQ"/qwi~=|ki'lai'lO'] 'The door is going to be closed.' [ban_tsya~"|de'//hO_\kuro Rip=(+/-)|lai'de'] 'Hold it. Let Kuro come in beforehand.'
As shown above, this particle has grammatical rather than pragmatic function. Note also the idiomatic usage [kwa~"bai- |de'] for 'have a look'.
*I have interpreted the morpheme [de'] as a generalized concept of the space where an action takes place. One of the good examples is the adverb [dti-|de'] for 'being in some place', which serves as the lexical source for the progressive aspect marker. For details on the progressive aspect marker, please refer to Usages of the parapreposition [dti\-].
-- Back to Top --
6.-[O']
This particle has the effect of a speech act for encouraging or urging.cf. 15.
[O:-+].
[li" kwa~'//bus lai+|a'(7)] 'Look, the bus has come.' [bus lai+|lO'(8)//dtaK_qe- lai+|O'//tzyu~_tsya=(-)|O'] 'The bus has come. Come come everybody. Let's get aboard.' Alternatively it may function for indication of surprise, such as: [gwan-(_)lai+ dtyoQ_si_/li" |O'] 'It's you!/What a surprise!'.
-- Back to Top --
(C) Particles for indication of perfect aspect
These particles have the grammatical function for denoting perfect aspect or what
is suggested by the English word 'already'.
-- Back to Top --
7. -[a'] (often subject to co-articulation and changed to -[a=]/-[a-])
[gu(i)n-(_)haNg+ m_tzai-/kai-si=(+)/i(E)Ng-(_)gyap=(+/-)|a' ya=(+)b(/w)e-] 'The bank not known has started doing business yet or not.' = 'Has the bank, if you know, started doing business yet or not?' [mNg+ i=(+)qi(E)Ng-/paQ"/kwi=|a'(=)] 'The door has opened already.' [qi(E)Ng-li" qam=(+)\lai+|a'(-)] 'Has the manager arrived yet?' [ya=(+)b(/w)e_/kwa~'|,i~' |neQ-(14)] 'No sight (of him) yet.'
This particle may be also used to close a question asking about time such as
[tzit=ma" qwi=(+)dtyam" |a'] 'what hour is it now?'
-- Back to Top --
[li" b(/w)eQ"/ai"/tzit_qwa=(+)/sa=(-)la=(-) |bo'(1)] 'Do you care for some salad' [ho"|la'(12)//tzit_tsu"a" dtyoQ_\ho"] 'Alright, (but) just a little.' (Somebody keeps loading the serving plate with the salad for the guest.) [ho"|lO' ho"|lO'] 'Enough enough' (with a little raised voice).
As you can learn from this illustration, [ho"|la'] means 'its OK with me' and [ho"|lO'] means 'you have done it enough' or 'I have finished doing it' depending on the situation.
-- Back to Top --
(D) Particles for indication of wondering
9. -[de'] (-[ne'] is sometimes heard as a variant)
This particle may be construed as a reference for 'where is (someone/something)?' or
or 'how about (someone/something)?' As such it has grammatical rather than
pragmatic function. Cf. item 5.
[u_/kwa~"/dtyoQ_\gwa=e-(_)/si_bpyo=(+)a" |bo'(1)] '(You) have seen my watch or not' = 'Did you see my watch?' [dti_\tzya=(+) |la'(12)] 'Here it is.' [aQ"\ tsya=(-) e-(_)\so=(+)si+ |de'] 'And where is the car key?' [li" b(/w)eQ"/ki"/dto=(+)wi- ha~Q-(ha~+)(11)] 'Where are you going, huh?' [dtyoQ"/hj-(_)a" a:=(15)] '(For) angling.' [aQ"\ gwa" |de'] 'How about me?' [qO"/tsu' q,ONg=(+)..] 'Watching the house, you see/how come you didn't know?'-- Back to Top --
10. -[a'] (after a wh-question to make it sound friendly)
(Somebody is knocking at the door.) [sya~=(+)mi"/laNg+ |a'] 'Who are you?' [gwa"|la'(12)] 'It's me.' [O:-+ Phoebe |O'(6)] 'Ooh, it's you Phoebe.'-- Back to Top --
11. [ha~Q-] (after a wh-question for something like 'huh'.)
[wi"\tzya=(+) qau"/qyo-(_)a=tau+ ya=(+)qo"\gwa_\hNg- ha~Q-] 'How far away is it from here to [qyo_a=tau+] (Bridge-head), huh?' [u-|tzit'dte'a' O:-+(16)] 'Quite a distance.'
This particle functions similarily as 10.; but it may also be varied for a casual substitute for 'yes' with a falling pitch, [ha~'], or expressing some mild disapproval with a raised pitch, [ha~:+], or an impolte substitute for 'what did you say?'.
-- Back to Top --
(E) Particles for indication of conclusiveness
12. -[la'] (for assertive conclusion or reinforcing a command)
[gwa=(+)e-(_)/tsya=(-) syu_li=(+)/ho"|a'(7)b(/w)e'(-)(2)] 'Have you fixed my car yet?' [ho"|a'(7)la'] 'It's done.'
As you can see [ho"|a'la] means some job has been finished as illustrated above. But it is often used, with raised loudness, to mean 'knock it off' when somebody keeps telling you what to do or doing something annoying you.
-- Back to Top --
13. -[ma'] (for concessive conclusion)
When you are going to accept an offer even if it is not necessary that you do, such an
acceptance is indicated with [ho"|ma']. This is comparable with [ho"|la'], which however is
usually said after some consideration rather than spontaneouly. The text given below
shows a slightly different situation where this particle is used.
[tzin"saNg' kwa~'|ki'lai' qaQ"na=(+)\si_/Rit_bpun=(+)laNg+] '[tzin"saNg'] (Mr. [dtan+]) looks like a Japanese.' [i- qu(i)n-bpun" dtyoQ_si_/Rit_bpun=(+)laNg+ |ma'] 'But he is a Japanese inside out.'-- Back to Top --
14. -[neQ-] (for reassuring conclusion)
[lin=(+)/bpa-bpa= u_/dti-|de' |bo'(1)] 'Is you Daddy home?' [bo+|neq-//gwa" lai-(_)ki"/qyo"/ma-ma= ho"|bo'(1)] 'But no. Let me go to ask my mum, alright?' [m_ben" |la'(12)] '(Please) don't bother.'
-- Back to Top --
(F) Particles with an exaggerated tone
15. [a:=(-)] (why not/what else?)
This particle functions similarily as 13. -[ma'] but through comparison of [ho"|ma'] and
[ho"|a:-] we can tell the later suggests that the speaker is prepared to accept some
offer or challenge. It's function may be further illustrated with the following dialogue.
[li" u_/dti_de=\tya~/gwa=(+)/qONg=we- |bo'(1)] 'Are you listening to what I am saying' [tzo(/e)"/li=qONg" a:=] 'Just keep on saying.'-- Back to Top --
16. [O:-+]
This particle often functions as a way of emphasizing what is said about something or
some person.
[li" tzit=e-(_)/laNg+ u_qau"/tsu"bi- O:-+] 'What a funny guy you are!' [bo_ya~"|la'(12)] 'It's not true.'
-- Back to Top --
(G) Non-particle constructions with the rolling-off format
The rolling-off format is a productive feature of the Hoyloy language. Words formed
with the format such as [au-|Rit-] (day after tomorrow), [tzo=(+/-)|Rit-] (day before
yesterday) and [qwa~+|dtyoQ-] (catch cold), are to be learned as part of the Hoyloy
vocabulary. On top of that, constructions with the rolling-off format are often used
for clause-final markedness as demonstrated by the following examples.
17. [si-(_)qan= bo_/tza"|lO'//nan" ho=(+)/dtNg"|lai'ki' lO'(8)]
'Time is not early already. Good (to) turn back already' =
'It's getting late. Time for us to go home already.'
[syo=(+)\dtaN"|tzit'e'//gwa" lim-/tzit_bpwe-a=/dte+ |de'(5)]
'Little wait a while. I shall drink a cup of tea beforehand.' =
'Just a moment. I would like to have a cup of tea.'
-- Back to Top --
18. [ONg_lai+ an"tzwa~=(+)/b(/w)e- |a'(10)]
'pineapple how (it) sells, huh?' =
'How much is the pinapple?'
[tsun-/bo-(_)qwi=(+)lyap=(+/-)//lONg=(+)tzONg=(+)/ki'
teQ=(+/-)|nNg'bpaQ' kO' dtyoQ_ho" |la'(12)]
'Not many pieces left. Give me two hundred Taiwan dollars for all of them.'
[m_taNg=(-)|la'//qa_\li=(+)/b(/w)e"|nNg'lyap'a' ho"|bo'(1)]
'No way. Let me have two pieces or so, alright?'
-- Back to Top --
-- For audio play of Hoyloy dialogues for items 1 through 18, click here. --
-- Options for pronunciation guidance:syllabic tone patterns | vowels | consonants | practical symbols
<<feedback>>Comments? Please contact Editor.
Copyright© 2003 Vunshik Zan. All rights reserved.